


The Paladins' Guide to Stellar Flirting: Purple edition

by StellaBruma



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 5+1, Awkward Flirting, M/M, T rating for some cursing and innuendos, humor I guess, lance pov, they're trying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 21:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12117678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellaBruma/pseuds/StellaBruma
Summary: 5 times Lance and Keith try to flirt with each other, and the one time they (almost) succeed.





	The Paladins' Guide to Stellar Flirting: Purple edition

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a few random things with no real plot or time setting, also unedited (I apologize in advance!).

**Step One: Initiating Contact**  


  
It all began when Lance strutted into the common lab, where Hunk and Pidge were diligently at work on their…thingy…, to talk to them about a certain _someone_ for obvious reasons other than jealousy or infatuation so _shut up_. Neither of them seem surprised.  
  
”Guys, you will _not_ believe –“  
  
Pidge groans and closes her eyes as Hunk says, “Yes, Lance? This is about Keith right?”  
  
What are those reactions supposed to mean? How did he know?  
  
”Woah, Hunk are you psychic now or something?”  
  
”Here we go,” Pidge mumbles. “Alright Lance, we’ll entertain you but right now Hunk can only half listen because he’s _concentrating_ , and you know I don’t care as much about your weird interactions with your crush.”  
  
Lance pouts for about a quarter of a second.  
  
”Okay, that’s fine, I – WAIT! PIDGE!” His brain back-pedals immediately. _Crush?_  
  
Hunk jumps and throws whatever he’s holding while bumping into the table, sliding even more tools and material to the floor. “ _Dude_ you startled me! Aw man, that was important.” He sighs, then continues, “Well, since I don’t have anything to work on now, I’m all ears too buddy.”  
  
”Great,” Pidge adds, “Just fantastic. Well, then.” She takes a seat, and Hunk takes the floor. Lance is still standing and stuttering out half words.  
  
” _Piiidge_ ,” he manages eventually, “I, that is _not_. This – this is _not_ that! At all!”  
  
”Denial.”  
  
”C’mon buddy, you can be honest with us,” Hunk says with a smile, “I promise to back you up for at least most of Pidge’s teasing.”  
  
Lance lets out a short huff, “Gee, thanks guys. I thought we were friends! Anyway, it’s not like I talk about the guy so much…”  
  
Pidge interrupts his _completely coherent_ thought. Rude.  
  
”He’s so fit, dedicated, not a bad pilot, and _dreamy_?”  
  
”I have never said that he’s, he’s ‘ _dreamy_ ’!”  
  
”Just that his hair, though dumb, looks soft and his face, though stupid, is not completely unfortunate and his skin, though not well-maintained, probably feels smooth, and-“  
  
”HUNK! Geez!” Lance feels his face heat up with embarrassment, but he can’t say they’re lying. There’s only a limited number of people on the ship, and he usually hangs around Hunk and Pidge, leaving Keith to be one of the few he doesn’t see often.  
  
Since he doesn’t see Keith often, it’s only natural to use the time he does wisely, by teasing him ( _not_ because he’s hot, he’s a hothead, though his confused nose crinkle is adorable…) and afterwards, he just _has_ to tell someone about it.  
  
So, of course he’s going to talk about him _slightly_ more than is accepted by the other two, and with his extensive list of insults, some compliments may make their way into his rants.  
  
Not that he would openly compliment Keith, his brain just betrays him sometimes.  
  
And now his evil, evil friends are being exasperatingly difficult. Crush? Psh, no, that is _so_ not what this is.  
  
”Alright enough of that. Just listen to my story, and I will not be taking questions or comments from either of you, thank you very much! Anyway, it’s just that I found out there’s a song about sharp objects in a box and it’s just sooo _Keith_.”  
  
”That song by The Used?” Pidge asked, “Yeah I programmed the PA system to be able to play music from one of the tablets, but how did you –?“  
  
”So you know how Keith is _always_ at the training room when I walk by? Well, today –“  
  
He was cut off by a scoff from Pidge and a chuckle from Hunk. “So, what? Checking out his ass again?”  
  
”Hunk no! I wasn’t – that’s not,” he struggles to hide his face behind hand gestures as he thinks of another topic.  
  
”I was not. Watching. His ass.” He manages out, trying to keep his voice level. “I was just –“  
  
”Whose ass are we talking about in here? And Lance, don’t say ass it sounds dirty.” The three turn to look behind Lance with a start as Shiro walks in.  
  
”No, no one’s ass – I mean, what Hunk clearly meant was assets –“  
  
Shiro winced, “That does not sound much better…”  
  
Lance let out a small, agitated groan. Great. Just great. Shiro was not the type of person he’d want to walk in on this conversation, with how close he is to Keith, and - _crap_! What if they were training together? What if Keith is on his way over?  
  
”Look, Shiro,” Lance tried again, “it’s not was it sounded like, I never said I was looking at Keith’s anything I had just passed him earlier and was going to tell Hunk and Pidge that-“  
  
”Wait,” Shiro interrupted ( _again_ ) with a bemused expression on his face, “so you’re saying it was Keith’s, uh, _assets_ you were talking about?”  
  
”No! I, well –“  
  
”And… _watching_?” The twinkle in his eyes brightened as his mouth curved up further, face settling on a smirk so intense that Lance felt his pulse pound against his eardrums. Just, _great_.  
  
He let out a groan, but before he could string together a coherent sentence, he was cut off yet _again_ , and _oh no_.  
  
”Shiro, what was that?” Keith asked as he walked towards the group surrounding Lance, who was hoping for anything to save him at this point, because Keith looks hot. Like, physically warm from exercising, as he dropped his raised shirt after wiping sweat off his face. Okay, and also just _hot_ , damn.  
  
And then, Coran and Allura are walking by, so of course they stop in to see what sort of training their fearless paladins are up to.  
  
Lance can never catch a break.  
  
”Well,” Shiro starts to explain, “I was just walking by when I overheard Lance talking about…” he paused to turn to Lance, once questioning eyebrow raised and an annoying smirk on his face, “your assets, and he was just about to finish up his thought I believe.”  
  
Lance let out a nervous chuckle, “Uh, no, what he meant is that I, um,” _Shit_ he thinks, knowing his voice is a bit too high, his heart feels like it’s pounding throughout his entire torso, and his face is in full flush mode.  
  
Before he could organize his excuses, Keith interjects with a simple, “Assets? Wait, were you talking about my stuff?”  
  
At this point, Pidge, who stifles what Lance could only guess was a laugh at his expense, decides to speak up, “Oh, Keith, if you decide that Lance deserves to be punished, I think he’d be fine with it.”  
  
” _PIDGE_!” Lance’s voice is high and cracking, so he settles with slapping a hand over Pidge’s mouth and using the other one to wave at Keith in apology.  
  
Keith raises an eyebrow. “So you _were_ talking about my stuff?”  
  
”Well, uh, no – no not, exactly? I mean, no, not your stuff.”  
  
It did _not_ seem convincing, inevitably.  
  
Keith turns to Shiro, eyes narrowed and a large scowl on his face, fists clenched, “Shiro, don’t let them get my stuff. I’m leaving and nothing better be missing.” True to his word, he stalks out, grumbling something under his breath and making his way to his room.  
  
While he left, Pidge had wriggled free of Lance’s grip and shouted after him, “Don’t forget to _really_ let Lance’s ass have it!”  
  
Behind them, Lance could hear Allura whisper to Coran, “I’m not sure I understand, what sort of punishing do humans do to each other? What will Keith be doing to Lance’s ‘ass,’ and also what is the ‘ass’ part?”  
  
”I believe an ass is common on Earth as domesticated livestock, Princess.”  
  
”How did they acquire one? If there is an ass on this ship I’d like to see it!”  
  
Before Lance could reach Pidge again, she was already running out of the room, cackling maliciously, leaving Lance with Hunk and Shiro to listen to his short bursts of screeches and hitches.  
  
”So,” Hunk started, sheepishly grinning from ear to ear, “Did you enjoy the view this time too?”  
  
Allura and Coran looked even more confused.  
  
Before he could be embarrassed further, Lance groaned into his hands and scurried out of the room, ignoring the chatter that came from behind him.  
  
Of course, Hunk found him later on and had a good, long talk about confronting his feelings and, maybe, _maybe_ , directly flirting with Keith. Ugh. Crushes are the worst.  


  
**Step Two: Find Common Interests**  


  
It took Lance a few days to recover, mostly because it’s such a _Keith_ thing to do, stalking out with only half the story, and he needed that time to talk to Hunk about it, before he started planning his next move.  
  
In the past, Keith hadn’t recognized many of his pop culture references, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t know pop music references, right? Most students in the Garrison had the same Top 40’s taste, because who wouldn’t at least recognize it?  
  
Katy Perry’s _E.T._ is perfect. They found out Keith is part Galra, and they’re in space, and it’s romantic!  
  
”Uh, I hate to be the _killjoy_ ,” Hunk says after Lance explained his plan, “but this is Keith we’re talking about. Do you think he’ll know who Katy Perry is? Or understand it’s a song?”  
  
”Psh, relax, Hunk. It’s not like he’s extreme edgelord, just a mild edgelord.”  
  
Hunk just rolled his eyes.  


  
Hunk was right.  


  
The next day, Lance put his plan into action after most of the others left from breakfast. Hunk, being the best wingman he is, engaged Keith in a conversation about ‘space motorcycle’ parts. Pidge, well – Pidge stayed to “watch.”  
  
_Time to shine. Hehe, shine like a star._  
  
”Hey, Keith. Boy, you’re an alien with a foreign touch. It’s supernatural, _extraterrestrial_.” Lance enunciates the last word with a pearly white grin and his best side glance to the Paladin next to him. Pidge was already choking.  
  
Keith’s face dropped slightly in confusion, just like when he didn’t understand their Voltron chant. “Uh, yeah? I mean I guess, kind of. I’m only part Galra though, and I don’t think it’s a supernatural thing. Though I guess it would be cool to have some weird alien magic?”  
  
Okay, let’s try that again. “Take me, I want to be your victim ready for abduction.”  
  
Keith’s resting scowl face returned and he let out a low sigh. “No, Lance. Stop that, you won’t be abducted. Shiro was abducted before and we don’t want that to happen again. We’re a team, and –“  
  
”No, that’s – ugh. Boy, you’re my lucky star.” Lance’s voice sounded strained and he is sure his face is going to melt from the pressure of keeping a strained smile on when all he wants to do is roll his eyes and don his own pout.  
  
His last-ditch effort, though out of context could be understood by anyone, did make its way through to Keith, who was able to stammer out a quiet, “Uh, thanks? I think? Are you feeling alright today, Lance?”  
  
Pidge snorted at this, “When is he _ever_ alright? It’s okay Keith, I think he’s malfunctioning.” Then she turned to meet Lance’s eye, “I think he meant to ask for you to ki – “  
  
”Pidge! I’m not some robot, plus I’m fine, I’m completely normal, I always act this way in fact! I wasn’t going to ask Keith for anything. Hunk, buddy, my bestie, _please_ , back me up here.”  
  
Hunk’s sly smile. _Oh no you don’t_ , Lance tried to convey through facial expression.  
  
”He’s right, Pidge. Keith, what Lance meant to ask is for you to infect –“  
  
”Oh my god,” Lance groaned loudly into his hands, which were hiding his face.  
”And fill y –“  
  
”Okay, nope! No! None of that!” Lance said, arms waving wildly about.  
  
Keith chuckled as he stood, accepting a high-five to Hunk and shooting back a thumbs-up to Pidge.  
  
As he was about to turn from the table, Lance regained some semblance of his previous composure.  
  
”Hold up. They don’t love you like I love you. Slow down,” Lance started, keeping his focus on Hunk and Pidge, while noticing how Keith paused in his tracks.  
  
He turned quickly to say to Keith, “What a wicked way to... uh” Lance noticed the stares on him, and instantly regretted facing Keith, now chuckling, head-on. “Treat the one who...” He couldn’t event finish the sentence, with the world crushing him this way…  
  
”Being walked all over lately?” Keith raised an eyebrow in Lance’s direction, “I’d rather be crazy, too.” He added with a large smirk and a wink before goddamn _strutting_ out of the door.  
  
Lance stood in his place, mouth agape.  
  
_Of course_ , Lance thinks _everyone knows Beyoncé._  


  
**Step Three: Compliments**  


  
Lance is persistent when he has a goal in mind. He knows he is. His friends know this too. Hunk has seen him studying late into the night at the Garrison, going through flight simulation possibilities, solutions, and outcomes, and not much has changed since becoming a Paladin.  
  
Lance is persistent, but that doesn’t make this any less _difficult_. And by _this_ , he means Keith. Keith is so, so difficult.  
  
He’s easy enough to figure out, and Lance already knows how to keep his attention by poking and prodding his buttons, but, as per Hunk’s suggestion, he’s decided to try…alternative approaches. It did take two weeks after the kitchen incident, but he finally mustered up the courage to try to talk to Keith like a normal person.  
  
Only, that plan backfired. Because most of his plans do. Because his brain overrides his…brain?  
  
It’s difficult to explain, but he can plan, practice, and feel confident in what he can try, but whenever he looks into those eyes that seem to hold constellations…  
  
So, really, Keith is being difficult for Lance and it’s insufferable.  
  
When he finally decides to attempt to compliment Keith after a mission, Keith decides to beat him to the punch.  
  
Only, they both know Keith’s never had a graceful way with words and one of his personal mantras is ‘actions speak louder’ anyway.  
  
”Hey, Keith, I just wanted to say-“  
  
”Oh, uh, hi Lance,” Keith shuffled his feet, and looked away while rubbing the back of his neck, “You, um, fought…good…back there.” Lance saw his face flush a deep shade of crimson before he, not exactly lightly, punched Lance in the arm as he walked away.  
  
After a good long while, Lance lifted his jaw off of the ground. _Well that was…something…_.  
  
Hmm. Drastic times call for drastic measures. If Keith is oblivious _and_ awful at flirting, he’ll have to really ramp up his game.  
  
This leads to a few disasters.  
  
The first of which being the very next day, when they were on their way to dinner from training. Lance had straggled behind to _purposefully_ spend some time with Keith, maybe start a normal conversation.  
  
Ever since he realized he had a crush, that had become a difficult feat. Why? Why does life work this way?  
  
”That was some sharp work back there, samurai,” Lance glanced back to say, “I wouldn’t mind a few hand-to-hand private lessons with you.” He decided to wiggle an eyebrow a few times to ensure he gets his point across.  
  
”Lance, you don’t do hand-to-hand,” Keith responds stiffly yet softly at once, “but you’re uh, improving a lot? I mean, we all are in our own ways, but nice work. Don’t worry, though, I’ll just believe you that you’re good with your hands.”  
  
Lance watched him scurry into his room, likely to clean up a bit before dinner, both of them even more heated from the awkward exchange. Okay, so _maybe_ this would prove more difficult than originally thought.  
  
The attempts within the next few days weren’t much of an improvement.  
  
Lance is on the observation deck when Keith approaches him.  
  
”Hey, uh, I don’t mind you in my space.”  
  
Lance turns to the owner of the voice that seemed forced and monotone to see the other paladin’s face scrunched up in what would be interpreted by an outsider as pain.  
  
”You know, that means a lot coming from you.”  
  
The smile he received sent a jolt of lightening down his spine.  
  
Later, Lance is walking back to his room to put on his night face mask as he runs into Keith.  
  
”Oh, hey. G’night.”  
  
”Night, Keith. Sleep tight.  
  
And then Keith just _stands_ there.  
  
”Your beauty rest seems to work well.”  
  
“Thanks, I think? Do I really look that bad and sleep deprived right now?”  
  
”No! Well, tired, but not bad. You normally look well-rested.”  
  
”Aw, what happened to being beautiful?”  
  
”Uh, pretty as a peach! I’m just gonna head to bed now, though.”  
  
All in all, the most painful encounter was when Keith had walked into the common room that Lance escaped to after growing bored watching Hunk and Pidge work _in silence_ as they so requested (not after he spent a whole twenty-two dobashes and thirty-seven ticks, yes Pidge timed it, listening to Lance’s renditions of his Keith encounters).  
  
Lance was lounging, half-dozing off, when he didn’t notice Keith entering the room until he sat on the couch opposite of Lance, staring at the back of the tablet held up to Lance’s face.  
  
After several dobashes, Lance lowered the tablet and sat up a little, greeting Keith with a half-hearted smile and a “hey, man” before settling back and yawning through his nose.  
  
Keith’s face twitched slightly, but he continued to stare and started pursing and relaxing his lips as if warming up to start a long speech.  
  
”Lance,” he started, wincing at how powerful he forced the name, before enunciating each word carefully, “you’re a good person and I don’t hate you, at all.”  
  
Then, he abruptly stood, obviously satisfied with himself, based on the small smile he adorned, and left.  
  
Well, then.  


  
**Step Four: Establish a Physical Connection**  


  
The following week, he enters the main control room in the morning to find Hunk and Pidge messing round with Pidge’s controls, and Keith sitting on his own seat.  
  
In a moment of pure bravery (and, to be honest, early-morning-tired brain) he strolled up to the chair, exited the panel, and sat on Keith’s lap so that his legs draped out on the right armrest in a fluid motion.  
  
”So, is that a knife in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”  
  
He was about to internally curse himself, but then Keith rested his left arm around Lance’s back, holding onto his arm slightly, leaned them both forward a bit, and…  
  
”You mean these?” The boy asked, producing two – not one, but _two_ – pocket knives from his pocket while settling them back down into their original position.  
  
Behind them, he could swear he hears Pidge and Hunk snickering. _Great_.  
  
”This one,” Keith starts holding up _one_ of the knives he apparently carries in his pocket, in addition to the one strapped to his utility belt, “is a typical folding switchblade. Not technically legal where I got it on Earth but, it doesn’t matter here.” Keith shrugs and Lance feels the movement of his arm against his back.  
  
”And this one,” Keith repositions the knives in his free hand, “is a single action front one, so the blade just springs outwards. I prefer these over the double action ones, it’s just quicker and easy if needed up close.”  
  
”Uhh,” Lance starts but, honestly, _what the quiznak, Keith?_ “So, that’s nice? Well, I’ve still got the best seat in the house!”  
  
Lance practically beams at Keith’s face. _Nailed it!_  
  
Except, Keith’s bland expression doesn’t change. At all. He blinks once, and then Lance feels himself being lifted up (which he does _not_ mind at all) and placed in Keith’s seat (which…he may mind a teensy bit).  
  
Dumbfounded, he turns around to see Keith strolling over _his_ chair, and lets out a low groan, ignoring the barely-contained laughter boiling up in Pidge and Hunk who have completely abandoned their project, as Keith sits in the chair.  
  
”I don’t get it Lance, it feels the same.” He pouts and it’s definitely going to be the death of Lance. This oblivious, torturous boy is going to be the death of him.  
  
Hunk and Pidge are red and chuckling now, and Pidge is the first to crack and laugh, quite loudly.  
  
Later on, she assures Lance that she talked to Keith, and that he was worried he had misinterpreted Lance earlier. Oh boy, had he.  


  
**Step Five: Overcoming Emotional Constipation**  


  
At this point, Keith had obviously gotten the memo from Lance. There was a _thing_ going on between them, and he was pretty bad at it.  
  
Although, trying to up his game did not turn out as expected. At all. Lance, though, felt glad to have gotten _something_ more than what he had before.  
  
They had returned from a tense mission. It wasn’t really difficult for them, but it lasted a while and they were growing weary towards the end of it.  
  
At one point, Lance felt he was in _a bit_ of a pickle, when Keithhis knight in paladin armor, had flew out of formation around to his side of the castleship and blasted away the remaining ships before returning to help Pidge defend their side.  
  
They all returned and were meeting in the hangar to celebrate another victory, when Lance made his way to Keith.  
  
”Keith! Buddy! That was absolutely incredible! Oh man, I could just kiss you right now!” Lance slapped a hand over his mouth once he realized what he had outburst.  
  
Keith’s reaction was must more…aggressive.  
  
”Maybe I should take you out to dinner first!” He exclaimed while clapping a hand on Lance’s shoulder to pull him closer before immediately releasing him and storming out.  
  
Lance was used to his attitude, but not like this. And it continued, for quite some time.  
  
They just landed on a gorgeous new planet for a diplomatic mission, when Lance tilted his head to Keith and drawled, “Man, this is an amazing view. Isn’t it, Keith?”  
  
He snapped back, ”Not as breathtaking as your eyes!” before stomping forward off of the ship (Okay, he could accept that).  
  
At this point, Lance just wants to see how far he can push Keith.  
  
So when he sees Keith in the kitchen late one night, his go-to line is, “What’s cooking, good lookin’?”  
  
Keith turns to him as his eyebrows furrow and he clenches his fists, “ _Nothing_ as sweet as you,” he releases through his teeth.  
  
A sigh escaped from Lance. Maybe he didn’t want to beat around the bush any longer.  
  
”Hey listen, Keith…”  
  
He was interrupted by Allura’s voice over the castle’s intercom system.  
  
”Paladins! Please report to the lions quickly! A small Galra fleet is gaining upon the castle, and we need about half a varga before we can make a wormhole jump again!”  
  
Lance sighed with more gusto at that. _Eventually_  


  
**Bonus Round: Trying Your Best**  


  
It’s very telling of them, to need the pressure and adrenaline rush from battle to get their shit together, as much as is possible for them.  
  
It’s sort of distressing, actually, to all of them. That battle has become routine, anticipated. That they’re all so _used_ to it by now. None of them ever talk about it, but they don’t have to. They all know that they all _feel_ it.  
  
It’s still terrifying, of course. There’s always a chance that the worst could happen, every single new fight could be their last.  
  
Lance sighed. Honestly? He doesn’t doubt everyone isn’t sick of it at some point or another.  
  
He started a private audio-only communication line, which was accepted only moments later.  
  
”Hey, Keith?”  
  
”Lance, is now _really_ the best time?”  
  
”Why not? We’re on common ground – figuratively speaking – and we’ve got time for now.”  
  
He heard Keith puff out a small sigh, taking it as an indication he should keep talking.  
  
But he was nervous now. They haven’t been doing well flirting with each other the past few movements. Not that they’ve had much time alone to think about it, with the war and all. Still…  
  
”Besides, will there ever be a _right_ time for anything? I mean, if we keep waiting for the right time, we might not have any time left, you know?”  
  
He hears the white noise of the silence from the other side of the line, then, “You sure said ‘time’ a lot.”  
  
Lance let out a short groan to match his rolling eyes, before hearing Keith continue.  
  
”But, I agree with you. We’re hardly given any time now, why not make the most of it?” He heard Keith grunt harshly towards the end as he rolled his lion away from a ship to avoid a blast as he fired a few of his own. The team was making good progress, and Voltron wasn’t needed yet.  
  
”Exactly.” Now what? Oh geez. Lance hadn’t thought he would get this far, that _they_ would get this far.  
  
”So then, Lance,” Keith muttered shyly, “I think you’re pretty cool. I’m sorry that the past few movements haven’t been the best between us, though it definitely wasn’t the worst, but, uh.”  
  
He took a deep breath, “Lance, you’re really nice and awesome. I’m glad you’re one of the people I’m stuck in space with, and when we get to Earth again I’d like to keep spending time with you.”  
  
Lance couldn’t help but chuckle a little at that. “You’re pretty cool, too, even though your haircut warrants teasing.” He laughs even more as he hears Keith grumble to himself.  
  
”Why wait until Earth? How about this, Keith, my man. How about,” Lance swallowed and tried to steady his heart rate, focusing on keeping an even voice.  
  
”How about, when we –“  
  
”Lance,” he was cut off by a more confident sounding Keith, “out of all the stars out here, you shine the brightest.” _Oh gosh, Keith_. “What would you say to a date sometime, when we get the chance? We can planet so it’ll be out of this world…” _Oh gosh, Keith_.  
  
Lance had to laugh. “Oh man, I feel the cringe from here. Alright, alright, I get it. I can’t believe you’d slander my material like that, but we’ll work on it.”  
  
He smiled as he heard Keith chuckle in relief. _Now we’re getting somewhere_.  
  
”It’s so romantic of you to try to flirt back with me, though. Keep doing that and you’ll leave me breathless.”  
  
”Lance, that’s unhealthy. Do you need to get back to a med-pod?”  
  
_Eventually…_

**Author's Note:**

> "You look very handsome tonight, wow!"
> 
> "Thanks, you smell like pasta."


End file.
